Still hampered by ankle injury, Hanyu Yuzuru withdraws from Rostelecom Cup
The two-time defending Olympic champion will miss his second Grand Prix event of the season as right ankle ligament injury lingers.
Figure Skating
Hanyu Yuzuru has withdrawn from the upcoming Rostelecom Cup in Sochi, the Japan Skate Federation announced on Wednesday (17 November).
The right ankle ligament injury that forced Hanyu out of last week's NHK Trophy has yet to heal and will keep him out of the 26-28 November Rostelecom Cup, the fifth stop in the Grand Prix Series.
"I have been trying to do everything I can to meet all the support and expectations", Hanyu said in a statement released via the JSF.
"Depending on how I move the pain still surfaces, but it's become less and less of an issue in everyday life. I have not reached the starting blocks just yet but I am definitely progressing.
"I will keep at it."
In the absence of the two-time defending Olympic champion, his compatriot Uno Shoma went on to win the NHK Trophy in Tokyo.
Wednesday's announcement also officially rules Hanyu out of the 9-12 December Grand Prix Final in Osaka, where the top six skaters from the series qualify.
Hanyu chose not to enter the last Grand Prix season amid the thickness of the global pandemic, citing as a reason precautionary measures to take against his asthmatic condition.
His path to the Olympic Games Beijing 2022 now runs through the 22-26 December Japanese national championships in Saitama, which doubles as the Olympic trials.
Participation at the nationals is, in principle, mandatory for anyone seeking one of three places at the Games.
However, even if Hanyu is not fit in time for the trials, the JSF can make an exception based on past achievements provided that there is a valid reason for his absence.
Hanyu would be bidding for an unprecedented third consecutive men's singles title at Beijing 2022.